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Advancement

Friday, Feb. 15, is the deadline to apply for a grant from Women & Philanthropy at The University of Toledo.

UT employees and students from all campuses are eligible to apply. To be considered for a grant, all application guidelines must be followed. Grant applications are available on the Women & Philanthropy website.

The Women & Philanthropy Grants Committee will review and evaluate the applications, and the general membership will vote to determine the recipient(s). Grant amounts vary from year to year.

Grant recipients will be announced in May.

The inaugural grant, in the amount of $15,000, was awarded in 2008 to Carlson Library to commission a glass sculpture by artist Tom McGlauchlin. That sculpture titled “A University Woman” is on display in the library concourse and has become the model for the Women & Philanthropy logo.

Since then, Women & Philanthropy has funded classrooms; an art gallery; locker room enhancements; a sensory-friendly medical examination room; the hospitality area in the William and Carol Koester Alumni Pavilion; renovations to the Savage Arena media room; computer-based educational displays in Ritter Planetarium and Lake Erie Center; a computer lab in the Catharine S. Eberly Center for Women; a playground at the Kobacker Center; a student-family room in University College; an interactive periodic table display; a Genetics Analysis Instrumentation Center; and the Thrombosis and Hemostasis Research Center.

Since 2008, Women & Philanthropy has gifted $493,687 in 19 grants to a wide array of programs and initiatives to The University of Toledo. Women & Philanthropy is able to give substantial gifts to the University by pooling its members’ resources and making monetary awards in the form of grants.

For more information, contact Sarah Metzger in the Office of Alumni and Annual Engagement at sarah.metzger2@utoledo.edu or 419.530.4237.

Several University of Toledo offices are moving this winter to a new location on Dorr Street, thanks to a generous gift from Welltower Inc.

As of Thursday, Jan. 3, the UT Foundation offices will be relocated to the new Center for Alumni and Donor Engagement, 4510 Dorr St., Toledo, OH 43615 (adjacent to Welltower Inc). UT Development, Alumni Engagement, and Special Events offices also will move to the new center by the end of January.

The UT Foundation offices are scheduled to be at the new Center for Alumni and Donor Engagement, 4510 Dorr St., Jan. 3. UT Development, Alumni Engagement, and Special Events offices also are slated to move to the new center by the end of January.

Coinciding with the move, the UT Foundation is also changing its logo, adopting a version of the shield logo used throughout the University.

“Transitioning to a new location seems a fitting time to make a brand change that more clearly identifies our organization as part of the UT family,” said Brenda S. Lee, UT Foundation president. “Our goal has always been — and continues to be — providing impactful financial support for the University and fostering a spirit of loyalty and opportunity for UT alumni and friends. We look forward to continuing our efforts and working with alumni, faculty, staff and donors from our new offices.”

Lee noted that there’s still time to make a 2018 gift in support of UT programs, projects and students. Contributions may be made on the UT Foundation website or in person at the Foundation’s current Driscoll Alumni Center location. Offices will be closed Dec. 24-26, but will be open for year-end giving from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Dec. 27, 28 and 31.

Dr. William McMillen, who worked at MCO/MUO/UT from 1982 until his retirement in 2012, died Nov. 23 at age 71.

The Perrysburg, Ohio, resident most recently served as interim provost and executive vice president for academic affairs in 2010 and delayed his retirement to take the post permanently in 2011.

McMillen

McMillen was vice president for government relations for both UT and MUO from 2005 to 2006; he played a pivotal role in navigating the legislative process that led to the merger of the two institutions. In addition, he oversaw the legislation in the state general assembly that changed the name from the Medical College of Ohio to the Medical University of Ohio.

McMillen held a variety of senior-level positions at MCO involving government relations, fundraising, communications and affirmative action while serving four presidents. In addition, he was secretary of the MCO Board of Trustees for 10 years and received a community-based appointment in the Department of Psychiatry in 1994.

At UT, he worked on initiatives in strategic planning, sustainability, economic development, and relations with the Ohio Board of Regents. McMillen also led efforts for a successful accreditation visit from the Higher Learning Commission.

Prior to joining MCO as assistant to the president, McMillen was a faculty member and administrator at Bowling Green State University.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point in 1969, and continued his education at Ohio University, where he received master’s and doctoral degrees in in English 1972 and 1976, respectively.

Ever the writer, McMillen penned a play, “First Do No Harm,” which premiered in February through the Toledo Repertoire Theatre’s Toledo Voices. He also wrote fiction and nonfiction, including the books “From Campus to Capitol” (2010) and “Sticks” (2000). And he wrote a government relations column, “The Party Line,” for The Chronicle of Higher Education under the pseudonym Peter Onear.

The family suggests tributes to the UT College of Arts and Letters General Scholarship Fund through the UT Foundation website.

The University of Toledo LGBTQA+ Alumni Affiliate will hold a brunch Sunday, Dec. 9, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Packo’s at the Park, 7 S. Superior St.

The brunch is a fundraiser to help support activities and events for the LGBTQA+ Alumni Affiliate.

The cost to attend is $15 per person for ages 11 and older, while children 10 and younger are $5.99 each. Packo’s will donate 20 percent of the proceeds to the new alumni affiliate.

“Proceeds will benefit the LGBTQA+ Alumni Affiliate,” Samantha Marchal, assistant director of alumni engagement, said. “With the help of a board of volunteers, the affiliate funds help to create scholarships, programming, educational opportunities, and social activities for UT alumni and students.”

“Our goal is to encourage a spirit of unity, and we are happy to be that tie between LGBTQA+ alumni and their alma mater,” Marchal said. “This event is just one of many opportunities to strengthen that tie, and we hope to meet many of our alumni and friends on December 9.”

The University of Toledo College of Arts and Letters is bringing award-winning poet and activist Dr. Mohja Kahf to campus as the speaker for its 18th Annual Maryse and Ramzy Mikhail Memorial Lecture.

She will speak at the free, public lecture Sunday, Nov. 4, at 3 p.m. in the Law Center McQuade Auditorium.

Kahf

The title of her reading is “I Want Milk, I Want Honey: An Afternoon of Poetry with Mohja Kahf.”

Kahf is professor of comparative literature and Middle East studies at the University of Arkansas, where she has taught since 1995.

Her book titled “Hagar Poems” was described by Booklist (2016) as “Forthright and fearless poetry. Kahf brilliantly transposes the disorienting experience of life in the U.S. for many immigrant and marginalized women with the rich history of the Abrahamic religions.”

For her work, Kahf has won numerous awards, including a Pushcart Prize for her essay, “The Caul of Inshallah.” In 2017, her novel, “The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf,” was chosen for the 2017 One Book Project by Indiana University East.

“We are honored to welcome Dr. Mohja Kahf to our campus,” said Charlene Gilbert, dean of the UT College of Arts and Letters. “Dr. Kahf is a talented poet whose work challenges stereotypes while simultaneously exploring the cultural nuances of both her home and adopted countries.”

The Mikhail Lecture Series is sponsored through the Mikhail Endowment Fund, originally established through a donation from the Mikhail family to honor the work and contributions of Maryse Mikhail and her involvement in educational, philanthropic and interfaith organizations.

The fund supports an annual lecture dealing with Arab culture, history, politics, economics and other aspects of life in the Middle East, including issues of peace and justice.

Women & Philanthropy and the Judith Herb College of Education at The University of Toledo donated more than 1,300 new books to Toledo Public Schools.

The books were distributed to 40 second-grade classrooms at 21 TPS schools.

Second-grade students at Old Orchard Elementary School were excited to receive new books from Women & Philanthropy at The University of Toledo and the UT Judith Herb College of Education.

Marcy McMahon, the chair of Women & Philanthropy, and Dr. Romules Durant, TPS superintendent, presented the books to representatives from each school Oct. 18 at Old Orchard Elementary School.

“Second grade is a critical year for learning to read,” said Dr. Thea Sawicki, chair of the Holiday Project for Women & Philanthropy and professor in the UT Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology. “We are proud to support every school by providing elementary classroom teachers with additional resources to promote early literacy and allow elementary students to gain greater reading skills.”

This is the second year that fundraising for the Encouraging Early Literacy Holiday Project allowed Women & Philanthropy and the Judith Herb College of Education to donate more than 1,000 new books to TPS second-grade classrooms.

Last year, the organizations donated approximately 1,000 books to 33 second-grade classrooms at 19 TPS schools.

This year’s donation covers the remaining classrooms and completes the goal of donating books to start a library in every second-grade classroom at TPS.

“The gift of a book and its potential impact on a young learner’s life cannot be overstated and should not go unrecognized,” Dr. Raymond Witte, dean of the UT Judith Herb College of Education, said. “It is with great pride that we recognize our association with Women & Philanthropy and their mission to better the lives of children in the Toledo region.”

“The Toledo Public Schools is grateful for the continued support of Women & Philanthropy at The University of Toledo,” Durant said. “Our mission is to create college and career-ready students, and that begins with early literacy. Last year, our students received 1,000 books to be distributed in 33 classrooms, which was incredible in and of itself. This year, we are receiving an even larger donation of 1,300 books for 40 classrooms. We are very thankful for the partnership and also their commitment to helping us deliver on our mission.”

The number of donors who participated in the second annual University of Toledo Day of Giving Oct. 16-17 more than doubled 2017’s participation, with 3,156 donors giving this year.

Alumni and friends, faculty and staff members, and students came together to support Rocket Forward: You Launch Lives, contributing a total of $717,375.

The goal of the 36-hour campaign was to create awareness of the impact of philanthropy at UT and to increase private support among UT students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends.

This year, activities took place on both Health Science Campus and Main Campus, including a carnival-style event on Centennial Mall with student organizations providing games and activities to raise money for the Student Activities Fund. President Sharon L. Gaber visited Health Science Campus for selfies with nursing students and to spread the word about the Day of Giving campaign.

Gifts, designated for a wide variety of uses, were made to this second annual Day of Giving, during which, campaign advocates took to social media to encourage giving.

“We want to thank all of our University of Toledo students, alumni and friends who participated in Day of Giving 2018,” said Cheryl Zwyer, senior associate vice president for development at The University of Toledo Foundation. “Every person’s gift makes a difference. It is wonderful to see Rockets come together to support so many important programs across campus.”

Contributions will help students launch college careers and complete their degrees through scholarships; help faculty continue research that impacts the northwest Ohio region and beyond; fund new drug therapies and medical advancements to improve patient care; and support many UT programs across campus.

Toledo businessman Hal Fetterman and his wife, Susan Fetterman, have pledged $1 million to The University of Toledo to fund new research into treatments for pancreatic cancer, the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States.

The donation is in honor of Hal Fetterman’s sister, Joyce Schwyn, and three close friends who lost their lives to pancreatic cancer.

Hal Fetterman, center, was thanked last week by Dr. Christopher Cooper, executive vice president of clinical affairs and dean of the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, and President Sharon L. Gaber after signing a pledge to give the University $1 million to research pancreatic cancer treatments.

“They were the ones who inspired me to go in this particular direction,” Fetterman said. “There are people passing away from pancreatic cancer all the time. The ultimate goal of this gift would be a cure for the disease.”

The Fetterman’s donation will establish the UT Medical Center Pancreatic Cancer Research Innovation Fund. Half of the gift will be dedicated to recruiting a top-tier faculty researcher to the UT College of Medicine and Life Sciences. The remaining $500,000 will be split between covering the costs of an upcoming clinical drug trial at UT Medical Center and supporting a grant competition among faculty cancer researchers.

“The University of Toledo is grateful for the incredible generosity of Hal and Susan Fetterman,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “The Fettermans have been loyal supporters of UT for years, and this new investment in the University will support important advances in medical care.”

Pancreatic cancer is relatively rare accounting for just 3 percent of all new cancer cases in the United States, but it is to blame for 7 percent of all cancer deaths. According to the National Cancer Institute, only lung cancer and colon cancer kill more Americans than pancreatic cancer.

Dr. F. Charles Brunicardi, the John Howard Endowed Professor of Pancreatic Surgery and director of the cancer program in the College of Medicine and Life Sciences, said there is already promising research being done at UT, and the Fettermans’ gift will take it to the next step.

“I’m deeply honored by the Fettermans’ generosity and their devotion toward finding better treatments for pancreatic cancer,” Brunicardi said. “We feel that we’re on the verge of a big breakthrough. We can cure mice of pancreatic cancer. What we need to do now is translate that into clinical trials, and this grant will allow us to do that.”

Fetterman felt it was important that someone make a sizeable donation to draw more attention to the cause and hopefully additional resources to advance treatment options.

“Somebody’s got to break the ice. I think that more people need to get involved with things like this,” Fetterman said. “It’s not necessarily wanting to leave a legacy, but I can’t take it with me. God’s been good to me. I didn’t go to college, and I didn’t have wealthy parents. I’m basically a farm boy from out in Fulton County. I want to do what I can to help people have a better life.”

The Fettermans are longtime supporters of UT. In 2007, the couple donated $1 million to the UT Athletic Department to build an indoor multi-sport practice facility that would ultimately become the Fetterman Training Center. They also established the Scott Raymond Fetterman Memorial Scholarship Fund in 1996 for UT engineering students.

Alumni, faculty and staff members, students, and friends of the University who support its mission are encouraged to give during this second annual Day of Giving. Go to rocketforward.utoledo.edu.

And check out some of the events taking place Tuesday, Oct. 16:

• Meet and Greet with the President from 8 to 9 a.m. in the Collier Building. Dr. Sharon L. Gaber will meet students, pose for selfies, and pass out doughnuts and apples.

• Fall Fest from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Law Center. Donate to decorate mini-pumpkins and mugs; play cornhole, ring toss and horseshoes; and eat kettle corn, caramel apples and cider.

• Day of Giving Carnival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Centennial Mall. Stop by for games, food trucks and the dog-petting station. Participants can donate dollars for coins to play games, at which they can earn tickets for prizes; donations may be made with cash, credit cards and Rocket dollars. It’s $1 to pet a pup!

• Taco Tuesday from noon to 2 p.m. in Rocket Hall. Donations will be accepted for lunch at this event sponsored by University College.

• Zumba Class at 8 p.m. between Ottawa East and Ottawa West. Donate to attend the class.

From 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 17, stop by Rocket Hall Room 1300 and pick up a bagel or doughnut for a donation.

Every donor and every dollar will make a difference in this 36-hour campaign to raise money for student scholarships, athletic and educational programs, and resources for UT’s academic colleges, among many other areas.

Gifts to rocketforward.utoledo.edu during the Day of Giving can be designated to specific funds that support causes donors are passionate about, and there are more than 2,000 funds to support.

The University of Toledo provides students with so many opportunities for success, and UT’s annual Day of Giving is a chance for the entire campus community to help students reach their goals by giving to Rocket Forward: You Launch Lives.

Alumni, faculty and staff members, students and friends of the University who support its mission are encouraged to give during this second annual Day of Giving. The fundraising campaign will begin at midnight Tuesday, Oct. 16, and will last until noon Wednesday, Oct. 17.

Every donor and every dollar will make a difference in this 36-hour campaign to raise money for student scholarships, athletic and educational programs, and resources for UT’s academic colleges, among many other areas.

“We encourage Rockets everywhere to join together on Oct. 16 and 17 to give back and have a significant impact on the lives of our students and all that The University of Toledo does to support them,” UT President Sharon L. Gaber said. “Philanthropy is essential to continuing the University’s mission to educate the next generation of leaders. I look forward to the possibilities of the combined efforts of our global, national and local alumni and friends when they support our Day of Giving and keep UT moving forward.”

Participation is an important goal for Day of Giving, which aims to encourage as many people as possible to support the University. Gift matches and gift challenges are ideal options for making a donation because they double the investment and double the impact.

In 2017, an anonymous donor challenged the colleges to compete for Day of Giving participants to support them. The College of Nursing and the College of Arts and Letters led the colleges, garnering the support of 99 and 95 donors, respectively. The colleges also received the additional $5,000 (Nursing) and $4,000 (Arts and Letters) for their progress funds via the donor’s gift.

“Last year was our first Day of Giving and it was a huge success,” said Charlene Gilbert, dean and professor of the College of Arts and Letters. “Our faculty and staff had the second highest number of donors. Their generosity demonstrated their deep belief in the mission of the University and the college. The money raised last year allowed us to provide strategic support to students who were close to graduating and just needed a little financial assistance. The result of that was our ability to graduate a record number of students and contribute to the University’s overall increase in our six-year graduation rate.”

Despite the rain last year on Day of Giving, students, faculty and staff members came out to Centennial Mall for free cupcakes handed out by the president, to hear the UT Rocket Marching Band perform, and to cozy up with some canines at a popular dog-petting station. Multiple activities are planned for Oct. 16 to celebrate the day and raise awareness of the opportunity to give.

For early risers, the Student Recreation Center will offer a Rise and Shine cycling class at 6:15 a.m. Oct. 16. With a $5 donation to Rocket Forward: You Launch Lives, you can attend the class, which also will be open to non-members of the center.

The UT community is invited to Centennial Mall from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 16 when WXUT FM 88.3 will provide popular music entertainment. Student-run organizations will offer booths featuring carnival-style games. Participants can donate dollars for game tickets, and donations may be made with cash, credit cards and Rocket dollars. Dog-petting will return to this year’s Day of Giving Centennial Mall event, and for a $1 donation you can pet a pup. Foodies can get their fill by visiting three food trucks that will be on the scene: Koral Hamburg, The Leaf and Seed, and Holey Toledough Handcrafted Doughnuts.

On Health Science Campus, giving stations will be located in the Collier Building and the Four Seasons Bistro inside UT Medical Center. The College of Nursing will host activities, as well.